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Contamination levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were monitored over 2018–2021 in 214 bovine milk samples from farms located in two regions in northern Italy (Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna). The average concentrations of the sum of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs (0.78 ± 0.55 pg TEQ/g fat) and six non-dioxin-like PCBs (6.55 ± 2.24 ng/g fat) were largely below the maximum, and action limits established at European level, confirming a decreasing trend observed both locally and across Europe in recent years. The impact of contamination levels on chronic dietary exposure of the Italian population to dioxins and PCBs was found to be highly variable based on the type of cow milk (skimmed, semi-skimmed, or whole-fat milk) and the population age group considered. Indeed, a first-tier screening of the potential exposure via determinist methods allowed for the identification of the youngest population as the group with the worst risk profile. The refinement of exposure assessment via Monte Carlo probabilistic methods suggested that, at the less pessimistic middle-bound simulation scenario, infants, toddlers, and children consuming whole cow milk may be exposed to dioxins and PCBs levels above the toxicological reference values with a probability of 76, 56, and 22%, respectively.

The purpose of this study was to assess testing parameters for measurement of water vapour permeability (WVP) properties of bovine gelatin films by ASTM F1249. This method utilises an infrared sensor to determine the WVP of conventional plastic-based films and has been widely applied within the packaging industry, but has had very limited application with hydrophilic compostable/edible packaging materials. These films have low WVP properties with highly variable WVP values (as studied by ASTM E96); consequently, this parameter has to be carefully controlled. Assessment of the module was carried out using bovine gelatin films with different thicknesses of film, and gelatin was chosen as an example of such film types using the following Mocon Permatran testing parameters: 50 or 70% relative humidity (RH), 100 or 150 cm3 nitrogen gas flow rates for the module’s RH-cell (100 cm3 for all other cells). In all cases, WVP increased with an increase in gas flow rate. This method showed that WVP increased with increasing gelatin film thickness, and categorically supports previous—and often unexplained—WVP findings for other hydrophilic, biopolymer films. The current study is a helpful guide to the examination of water barrier properties of hydrophilic edible/biodegradable/compostable packaging materials in research and industry.

A survey was conducted to determine the content of cyclopropane fatty acids (CPFAs) and &omega, cyclohexyl fatty acids (CHFAs) by using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR) techniques in various meat samples from different species, including commercial samples and complex and thermally processed products (i.e., Bolognese sauce). The CPFAs concentration (as the sum of two isomers, namely dihydrosterculic acid and lactobacillic acid) in bovine meat fat (ranging between 70 and 465 mg/kg fat) was positively related to a silage-based diet, and therefore, they are potential biomarkers for monitoring the feeding system of cattle. CHFAs, such as 11-cyclohexylundecanoic and 13-cyclohexyltridecanoic acids, were only found in lipid profiles from ruminant species, and a linear trend was observed in their content, together with iso-branched fatty acids (iso-BCFAs) deriving from ruminal fermentation, as a function of bovine meat percentage in both raw and cooked minced meat. Thus, CHFAs are potential biomarkers for the assurance of the meat species and, combined with iso-BCFAs, of the beef/pork ratio even in complex meat matrices. The proposed approaches are valuable novel tools for meat authentication, which is pivotal in the management of meat quality, safety, and traceability.